Ohio University received a new grant that will allow the food pantries on campus to offer new options.
PepsiCo awarded OU the Recycling Zero Impact Fund grant, worth approximately $10,000, to pay for seven refrigerators, freezers and commercial meat thermometers, according to a news release.
The new utilities will allow leftover food from dining halls and markets to be transported and stored in the food pantries. That will be important at the end of semesters when leftover produce and other perishable items would normally be thrown away, according to the release.
Mena Colson, a freshman studying finance, said having refrigerators and freezers are a good idea.
"I used to work at Panera (Bread), and we used to get rid of a lot of leftovers," she said. "It's good to not waste. Some people at Panera would even take those leftovers to pantries, too."
The food pantries receiving the grant money include the two Baker Center food pantries, the Heritage College of Medicine Food Pantry, the Ohio Southern Campus Food Pantry and the Athens Food Rescue partners, according to the release. OU opened its most recent food pantry in January on the third floor of Baker; the Heritage College food pantry is in its planning stages.
The food pantry on the third floor of Baker will receive a freezer and refrigerator, Executive Director of Event Services Dustin Kilgour said.
“Our focus is to put a refrigerator and freezer in the media hallway upstairs,” he said. “A lot of it is going to be dependent on electrical components, such as if we have electricity there, et cetera.”
Basic Needs OHIO, in partnership with Athens Food Rescue, applied for the grant. The organization was launched last semester to assist those in need, whether those people are in need of food, shelter or finances, according to the news release.
The refrigerator and freezer will arrive in Baker by the 2018-19 academic year.
“It’s just based on how long it takes for these grants to be completely funded,” he said. “It’s probably going to happen over the summer, and it will be in place hopefully by the start of the Fall Semester.”
Mackenzie Vanaman, a freshman studying early childhood education, hopes to see a variety of food in the pantry as a result of the grant.
"Maybe they will be able to get more nutritious foods," she said. "It's better not to waste the foods anyways."
Kilgour said he is excited about moving forward with this new grant.
“I'm hopeful that we are able to save some food and rescue some food from our partners with Dining and Culinary Services and begin putting items, such as milk and meats, if we can get them in our pantries and hope to continue to help those people who are experiencing food insecurity,” he said.
